Welcome to County Cavan

County Cavan (Irish: Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. Cavan County Council is the local authority responsible for the county, and is part of the Border Region. County Cavan is located in the province of Ulster, and is named after the town of Cavan. The population of the county is 72,874 according to the 2011 census. This being the second largest increase in population Ireland after Laois.

The History of Cavan

Gaelic family. This in turn was a division of the 11th century Kingdom of Bréifne. For this reason the county is colloquially known as the Breffni County. Historically, Cavan was part of the western province of Connacht, but was transferred to Ulster in 1584 when Bréifne was shired and became the county of Cavan. Parts of Cavan were subjected to Norman influence from the twelfth century and the remains of several motte and bailie fortifications are still visible mainly in the east of the county, as well as the remains of stronger works such as Castlerahan and Clogh Oughter castle. The influence of several monastic abbey remains such as Drumlane and Trinity Island.The Plantation of Ulster from 1610 saw the settlement and origins of several new towns within the county that include Bailieborough, Cootehill, Killeshandra and Virginia. Wars aimed at trying to unsettle the Plantations led to more English and Scottish settlers. Some areas of Cavan were hard hit by the Great Famine potato blight between1845-49. The winter of 1847 is particularly noted for the high levels of deaths nationally caused by diseases such as typhus and cholera

Cavan today

Agrigculture is the largest industry in the county, especially dairy milk processing as well as pig and beef farming. Much of Cavan's land is used for pasture farming . There are approximately 219,568 cattle in Cavan.It has the largest pig production in Ireland at the moment 20% of production is in Cavan County Cavan is located in the north of the island (but in the Republic of Ireland). Cavan is perhaps best known as the lakeland county and it is well known that there is at least a lake for every day of the year. The river Shannon also begins its 400 kilometre journey to the Atlantic Ocean in Cavan. Popular places to visit include Cavan County Museum, Cavan Crystal, and Belturbet Station. Places to visit are in abundance in this county with many historical sites such as Cavan Friary, Kilmore Abbey, Cavan County Museum and many more.

To assist you on your genealogy journey.

To assist you researching your family tree and where your ancestors came from please click on the History page tab above. This History page provides vital links that will be useful in sourcing where your ancestors came from, such as the Irish Census, Griffiths Valuation, and the Tithe Applotments.

When Posting a genealogy message.

When posting a genealogy messages, the more information that you have about your ancestors, the more likely it is that one our volunteers can assist or advice you. Try and have, names, dates, places, if they were married (and to whom), children's names, descendants' names and anything else you can think of. When your query has gathered enough information for you, then you can decide what parish your ancestors came from, post your query to that parish`s message board.